Contextual Play Therapy Techniques

Gestalt therapy

Gestalt therapy is a treatment method dealing with emotions of the people and their way of understanding the environment . Founded by Frederick Fritz and Laura Perls in 1940 , it emerged as the most effective way of treatment adopted by psychologists in United States of America and also became popular in United Kingdoms as well . Therapists involve patients in their own healing process making them realize understand and recognize their own feelings . Several complexities of life have made people loose interest in their real self . They feel themselves split off

between what is happening around them and what they intend to do . And here the role of therapists comes in . They make patients aware of their own activities which they often can 't realize themselves and can 't change themselves and thus increase their self-confidence . As said by Nancy A . Piotrowski , in her book Magill 's Encyclopedia of Social Science : Psychology , Gestaltists believe that anxiety is the result of an excessive focus on the future . The client is expected to attend to current feelings and experiences - to stay in the here and now (Piotrowski , 2003 There are no definite approaches of treatment for individuals , in-group counseling or in families . While dealing with family , each individual is considered as disoriented or disintegrated part of the whole and the efforts are made to create a link between these parts . Joel Latner pinpoints that all of us in one or the other way are involved in relationship with each other and Gestalt therapy helps us to know ourselves in coordination and relation to others . To establish bonds with children and other family members is the main thurst of the Gestalt therapy

In working with children , Therapists uses the Gestalt play therapy combining the rules of Gestalt theory in a playful manner to increase their self confidence and support . To bring the families closer generally , The empty chair technique is being commonly used by the Gestalt therapists . In this concept , a scene is created whereby a partner may address to an empty chair thinking him as his partner and thinking himself as a spouse carries on with a dialogue and expresses all his reprehensions and doubts and can come out with possible solutions . In the same way this empty chair can also be considered as his own absent child or parent . For individuals , therapists have direct contact with patient by assessing and screening his or her behavior Among groups some therapists follow what is known as Perls ' lead . In this process , therapists use hot seat system , whereby patient is made to disclose problems on individual level and then focus is directed towards forming an environment to bring about contact between patient and group leader (I and Thou (Yontef 1993 ) The time of these interactions go on in an average time between 20 minutes to forty minutes . In this meeting other members keep their silence

Gestalt therapy is all about interaction and practical application is same for all families , group or individual , only approaches...